How to spectate at TdF?

[nigelnorris]

If [hypothetically] myself and a couple of friends found ourselves in France next year while the TdF was taking place, what would be the best way to try and see some of the action?

I get the impression there's loads going on before and at the start of a stage so maybe get there early. But I bet there's no accomodation for miles, and expensive too I bet.

Maybe find a lesser hill or passing point on a lesser stage, easy to get to but still a lot of effort just for a 30 second blur as the peloton rushes by.

Hang around a a finish line? I understand you have to turn up about a fortnight in advance to get for example to the top of Alp d'Huez or Ventoux.

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Will1985]

Be prepared to wait a very long time...

To get a good view of a sprint finish (typically the closest Joe Public can get is 50m from the line), you need to turn up at least 2 hours before the predicted finishing time and do not budge. The caravan stops here and offloads everything they have left.

I find starts a bit chaotic. You get to see the riders but it seems to be over very quickly. The locals tend to be out in force filling up the signing on area - crowded is one way of putting it.

I don't have much experience of mountains - on the one occasion I have, I got a cable car up to 8km to go and watched from there. All passed within about 3 minutes....further up near the finish when most of the riders have cracked is probably more interesting.

 

[Crackle]

I have never got to a start early enough to see the signing on.

My usual ploy is to try to watch a TTT stage. Get to a village on a bend, preferrably near a timing gate. You get to see them all come through slow enough to make out with the added interest of seeing the gaps on the board. When they've all gone through, retire to the nearest bar to watch the end on TV.

I have yet to go to a mtn stage. Othe peoples advice on that is to camp near the bottom away from the stage and ride up on the day, otherwise yes, you have to get there 2 or 3 days before.

 

[Paulus]

Last year Mrs P and myself took the first Eurostar from St. Pancras on the last day of the race. We were in Paris by 11.15, paris time, wandered down to the Seine, and along to the louvre. We set up camp on the bend by the tunnel under the gardens. The crowds built up by 2.00pm, but we held our spot. We had a great day We were on the last train back to london arrived at 22.00.

 

[dmoan]

Sorry to put a damper on your plans Nigel, but in my view, it is not worth it. Le Tour is so much better enjoyed on the telly, in a pub, in a village en-fete on Bastille Day etc.

I apologise for the length of this reply in advance and, like everything in life, your mileage may vary...

We went to Barcelona to see the finish of stage 6 this year. We arrived at the finish line 3 hours before the expected finish time. The entire area was packed with people - the closest I got to the finish line was standing at the 150m marker 3 people back - I'm 6'4" so I at least could see the road.

There was a big screen, so I got to watch the race in the pouring rain (with no commentary). I was the only person around who seemed to care that there was a race on - people from all nationalities around talking about everything but cycling!

As the caravan approached the finish (about 60 minutes in front of the race), everyone surged forward to get their hands on the rubbish and tat being dumped by the caravan. So suddenly everyone is wearing white Skoda hats and yeloow Creid Lyonais hats (both at the same time!), waving green PMU foam hands and munching on Haribo.

Then le Tour arrives - the sprint (uphill in this case) was so fast that it made my eyes water (or was it just the rain?). We tried to take a photo of the lead rider (Thor Hushvod, in this case) and only managed to capture the rider who finished 10th (see photos below). The finishes are really that fast!

As soon as the race finished, the crowds moved (ran/pushed) to the podium area, packing in as close as possible to see the podium ceremonies.

Then it is all over. The crowds walk away, leaving the ground covered in empty bottles and cans, food wrappers and discarded advertising tat. There were no bathroom facilities whatsoever on Mont Juic, so lots of people were racing back up the hill to the Funicular station!

We were there at 9:30am the next day for the sign-on and depart (at 11:00am). We walked up the Avenue Parallel to Plaza de Espania to find the entire area fenced off with 2 metre tall metal fences. It was possible to walk around the area, but not through it and certainly nowhere near the riders, team buses, VIP areas etc.

We took up position to watch the sign-on. Riders came in dribs and drabs - anyone who could speak Spanish was 'detained' by the announcer for impromptu interviews - everyone else sort of sneaked onto the stage and sneaked off again as quickly as possible. If your French & Spanish wasn't up to a high standard, you would get very little out of the sign-on!

The worst for us was that both the finish of stage 6 and the neutralised start of stage 7 passed the window of our hotel. We could have got a much better view from our bedroom window, while watching the stages on TV, using our private bathroom and drinking ourselves silly. Instead, we left feeling that the glamour and spectacle so often described in cycling magazines, books and commentaries had been somewhat exaggerated!

Of course, it didn't help that the weather in Barcelona was bloody apocalyptic and that someone tried (and failed, after a hard chase) to snatch Mrs dmoan's handbag...

 

[nigelnorris]

Thanks for all of the above replies. Don't worry dmoan about dampening anything, see the relevant bit of my first post is that I'm thinking I might just be around anyway with some time to kill so I wouldn't be making any real effort, just following the line of least resistance.

The notion behind this is that I've decided that I'm definitely going to consider thinking about a nice long 5 or 6 week tour next summer - on the continent after the disappointment of this year's summer here. In conversation earlier today a friend suggested maybe stopping off at a tour stage just to catch some of the atmosphere. It's all very hypothetical.

 

[Apeman]

Like Nigel I would have liked to experience a stage of the Tour but from what has been said before by Dmoan it would be a bit of an anti-climax. Best watched on Tv but why is it only on ITV4 (I dont subscribe to Sky).Their coverage although good could be better if it wasnt for adverts. Hey there Dmoan are you doing Lap the Lough on Sunday?

 

[Crackle]

There's some truth in what Dmoan says, which is why it's important to listen to the advice of those who've been. It's all too easy to have a crap day if you get it wrong. Set out to make a day of it, with the race as a part of the day.

 

[asterix]

I actually enjoyed watching the etape more than the TdF. it was when it passed through Salers and there was a bit of a party atmosphere at the roadside - nothing like the TdF and no Caravane. Most of us spectators were cyclists and got there on our bikes.

One year I cycled to Brantome to watch - they'd closed the main road to cars and I cycled up the hill to wild applause from the spectators On the way home I got waves of encouragement from a couple of picturesque young women on a scooter.

This year the only nearby stage was flat from Limoges and the cycle ride to get there wasn't a great route so I didn't bother.

 

[meenaghman]

Apeman.. the tour is live on Irish television.. whole stage -> TG4.. Ok the commentary is in Irish but that adds to the flavour of it. You should be able to get that from freesky in Northern Ireland (as part of Good Friday agreement all UK free 2 air and Irish free 2 air channels are carried.. thus lots of people in UK looking for a NI sky card to watch RTE etc.. -cost about 150quid installed !) or via analogue aerial pointing toward Sligo or another transmitter (depends on your location in Enniskillen).

As regards the tour and getting close to the riders, the best day, if one plans them properly are the rest days. If you're on the road on these days the teams are often out for a recovery ride or the riders are more accessible in town... if you can find out where they're staying. The rest days in general are normally one side (before/after) mountain stages in the Pyrenees or Alps giving possibility of a mountain stage viewing or just to cycle some cols yourself. From an Irish point of view there's normally someone.. who knows someone .. who knows someone who could tell you where the teams are going to stay. I suspect if team Sky does enter the tour next year, then that would equally apply to the English riders.

 

[dmoan]

Like Nigel I would have liked to experience a stage of the Tour but from what has been said before by Dmoan it would be a bit of an anti-climax. Best watched on Tv but why is it only on ITV4 (I dont subscribe to Sky).Their coverage although good could be better if it wasnt for adverts. Hey there Dmoan are you doing Lap the Lough on Sunday?

I can only comment on what I experienced, so no-one go and make/break plans on what I say!

If I had to do it again, I would pick a 'quiet' point on the course, maybe 80k from the end in a small village or hamlet. I would make sure there was a pub and that the pub had a TV and a toilet.

Watch the coverage with the locals in the pub / bar tabac, nip out to watch the caravan pass, nip back in for a swift half, back out to cheer on the breakaway and the main pack then back to the pub to debate the winner / will the break succeed / will *** abandon etc.

If you can do this on or around the 14 July, all the better. If you pick a French winner, I bet you get to drink for free all night!

BTW Apeman - I am most definitely doing Lap the Lough on Sunday - look out for the ugly fat bloke in the CycleChat jersey! 'Tis my 3rd lap and I am really looking forward to it this year. Went out on Sunday for an (attempted) first ever 100 miler and averaged 10 mph for about 40 miles - massive headwind down to Portaferry following NCN99! Ended up only doing 80 miles, so (again) Lap the Lough will be my biggest target this year!

If you see me out there, give us a shout!

 

[dmoan]

Apeman.. the tour is live on Irish television.. whole stage -> TG4

Yes - Tour de French Beo - I look in there on TG4 when British Eurosport are still doing the studio interview bit at the start of the stage. Commentary is in Irish - but then David Duffield doen't exactly speak English, so you're missing nothing!

 

[Jonathan M]

Its an experience to see part of a stage race, but it is something that is probably best done with planning. Having said that I caught a stage finish of the womens TDF a few years ago (right place, right time) with zero planning, and despite weather being pants it was a good day. Funniest thing was one rider must have got some points in on a climb, and put her in the climbers jersey, but it took her 15 minutes to be found, and she arrived on the podium already having got changed, looking pleased but sheepish.

 

[akaAndrew]

I think it also depends on the stage. Smaller, non-touristy places and relatively meaningless stages are probably not going to be as packed as Barcelona, a TT or the Alps etc.

I saw the finish at Chateauroux last year (Cav's first TdF win) and was able to find a spot 50m from the finish around 30 minutes before they arrived. Like wise, at Aigurande the following day's depart, I was able to stroll around the team buses and watch the riders get ready etc and all in a very relaxed fashion considering the occassion. I think that would be the exception rather than rule though. (For what it's worth, I think the departs are WAY more interesting... everyone wants a peice of the riders at the arrivals, and they just want to get to the hotel to eat and kip!)

I could have easily gone to watch the riders fly past this year too, as they passed around 20km from here, but I decided to watch it on TV instead. That said, I'm really pleased I had the experience last year - well worth it.

 

[Apeman]

Hi there Dmoan look forward to seeing you -if I can find you in the crowd-any other CCrs as well. Went round Ards peninsula once before-always a hard slog as the wind gets you both ways. Much the same as going round Lough Erne lower. All you can do is knuckle down and grind through it.